Do you approve dubious FMLA leave? You’re not alone

Half of the human resource professionals polled recently say they've approved Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requests that they believed were not legitimate. They felt obligated to grant the leave because of Labor Department and court interpretations of the law.

Plus, more than half (57 percent) the respondents to the Society for Human Resource Management survey offer job-protected leave beyond the 12 weeks provided under FMLA, including paid leave, leave for parent-teacher conferences or leave for employees who have worked less than 12 months. Other survey highlights:

34 percent of HR professionals were aware of employee complaints about a co-worker's questionable use of FMLA leave.

Less than half (48 percent) of all leave requests were scheduled in advance.